App Timer Bypass Fix?

[Jiggity13]

Trying to lock down an S23 using the App Timer functionality to limit screen time. Great in theory when using a pin, but it's too easy to go into the Digital Wellbeing Settings, "Excluded Apps," and bam: the app timer for any app can be removed without requiring the pin.

Is there an update that will fix this obvious loophole? Or am I just straight up missing something?

[CEParsons]

Digital Wellbeing in its current state is not sufficient to lock down a device in regard to screen time limitations. You will need to use a third party app to do this.

There are several apps that can do this, but Stay Focused is my personal app of choice for this purpose.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.stayfocused

Even this is not perfect and can be bypassed if a user is adamant, but it is substantially more robust than the baked-in screen time tools.

[realaud]

You can use the app that @CEParsons recommended, or you can create a routine to automatically close the app when a certain amount of time has passed.  In the example below, I set it for a couple of apps and then added a wait time of 60 minutes (the highest amount of wait time) and then added another 60 minutes to create a two hour time slot, and then added the action to close the app when that time was up.  You can repeat that action multiple times or you can just use one action for 60 minutes. Of course, you will be able to open the app(s) again, which will start the routine again, but it will make you mindful of how long you have been on the app when it closes.  The app will close even if you are using it.  I tested it.

[Jiggity13]

I looked heavily into both Modes and Routines. That routine approach stops whenever the app that triggered it is closed. So if I am on an app of interest for 59 minutes with a set hour of allowance via the routine, if I close out on my own before the routine forces me out, the routine will restart next time the app is opened. My hope is to truly limit total time in a given day.
All that being said, the suggested app is phenomenal.

[realaud]

Yes, the routine stops, but it lays dormant in the background until you open any of the listed apps again.  It is not always running.  As long as it is enabled, it will activate when the triggers are met.

However, if you don't feel the routine is the right approach for you and you require more strict control, try @CEParsons recommendation or put on parental controls and let someone else set the password.

[CEParsons]

Unfortunately parental controls require the associated google account to be a child account. Digital wellbeing will not allow you to apply parental controls to a device associated with a google account age 18+.

[realaud]

ok.